Good things come in trees. Following International Day of Forests and World Tree Day, Mary Kay Inc., a global leader in corporate stewardship and sustainability, is releasing a report detailing its long-standing partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation. Together, Mary Kay Inc. and the Arbor Day Foundation have planted over 1.2 million trees across the globe, making a measurable impact on climate change, CO2 emissions, and reforestation.
“Globally, around 18 million acres of trees are lost each year,” said Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer at Mary Kay Inc. “To raging wildfires, insects, disease, climate change, and more, the need for reforestation is dire. Mary Kay has a footprint in markets around the world—so we must do what we can to protect it. Our partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation allows us to provide a more sustainable future for generations to come.”
Mary Kay’s latest trees report, which can be found linked below on MaryKayGlobal.com, details three cumulative benefits to planting trees through the work the partnership has completed so far.
Carbon: Planting, protecting, and managing trees absorbs carbon. As trees grow, carbon is removed from the atmosphere into trunks, roots, and branches.
Metric Tons of CO2 Sequestered to Date: 1,018,021
Water: Trees and forests play a vital role in water quality and quantity. Healthy trees and forests reduce soil erosion, filter stormwater and agricultural irrigation, enhance rainfall infiltration, and reduce surface runoff
Gallons Avoided Water Runoff: 81,902,445 (equal to 930,710 people with clean water)
Air: Trees produce oxygen that we breathe. In addition, trees remove air pollution by lowering air temperature, by releasing water into the atmosphere, and by filtering particulates.
Tons of Air Pollutants Removed: 4,236
In 2021, Mary Kay Inc. completed six main planting projects in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation. These included:
7,000 trees in Brazil’s Indigenous Fire Recovery Project
26,496 trees in the Mississippi River Valley
49,004 trees in Florida’s Tyndall Air Force Base
7,500 trees in China’s Gansu Province and Inner Mongolia Forests
5,000 trees in Cajamarca and Amazonia, Peru
5,000 trees in Germany’s Insect Restoration Forests.
In 2022, Mary Kay plans to plant in China, Brazil, Madagascar, and Florida.
In addition to their partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, Mary Kay served as the executive producer for Forest of Hope, a documentary journey that highlights the battle to save our planet from the impending threats of climate change and destructive human behavior. In partnership with Media One and the Nature Conversancy, Mary Kay visited Monterrey, Mexico, to shed light on a group of female entrepreneurs who are focused on restoring a local species of trees and ecosystems. The film debuted in 2021 and is scheduled to show at upcoming film festivals.
To view the full Mary Kay Inc. / Arbor Day Foundation report, click here.